Don't entirely agree with the full sentiment here, however some points are very valid. Confirms how important recycling REE's will be and asap - namely the Belfast production.
**China is the undisputed leader in critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and wind-turbine magnets. They account for 63% of the world’s rare earth mining, 85% of rare earth processing, and 92% of rare earth magnet production**
The Critical Minerals Quagmire Hurts Consumers - August 09, 2023.
Our government officials demand we convert to renewable energy. And soon. Yet, this switch requires an exponentially larger supply of critical minerals. A supply that is not readily available and is years (perhaps decades) from existing. We’ve basically been given a destination with a makeshift roadmap filled with obstacles, hurdles, and barriers along the way.
Currently the U.S. is reliant on imports for all critical minerals. Even though we sit on vast amounts of mineral reserves, very few are produced domestically
Our government officials demand we convert to renewable energy. And soon. Yet, this switch requires an exponentially larger supply of critical minerals. A supply that is not readily available and is years (perhaps decades) from existing. We’ve basically been given a destination with a makeshift roadmap filled with obstacles, hurdles, and barriers along the way.
Currently the U.S. is reliant on imports for all critical minerals. Even though we sit on vast amounts of mineral reserves, very few are produced domestically.
It doesn’t make any sense.
Senator Cortez Masto of Nevada summed it up perfectly at a critical minerals event hosted by U.S. Chamber of Commerce last month. She is “baffled” by all the cries for clean energy while numerous roadblocks for mineral production continue to mount. So are we, senator.
By its own admission, the White House acknowledges that demand for critical minerals will “skyrocket to 400-600%” over the next few decades. Every single aspect of a transition to renewable energy—electric vehicle (EV) batteries, storage, solar panels, windfarms—will require a substantial increase in mineral resources, not only here, but abroad.
China is the undisputed leader in critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and wind-turbine magnets. They account for 63% of the world’s rare earth mining, 85% of rare earth processing, and 92% of rare earth magnet production.
We are woefully behind.
We are home to just one active lithium (key ingredient for electric vehicle batteries) mine, which barely produces enough to power 80,000 EVs annually. We have just one nickel mine up and running. The only cobalt mine opened its doors last fall only to suspend activities earlier this year. There is zero graphite and zero manganese mining.
All five of these minerals are the most used when it comes to various renewable energy components. Yet, we import the vast majority of them. Some from openly hostile nations (i.e. China) and others from countries known for poor working conditions and child labor (i.e. Democratic Republic of the Congo). This puts the U.S. at the mercy of not just our allies, but corrupt and/or inhospitable countries, placing our national security at risk.
A recent Johns Hopkins University study paints a rosy picture of achieving the renewable dream of sufficient mineral production. But conditions would have to be ideal, and meeting such targets would “require extraordinary technological and financial cooperation” among multiple global players, including those with fragile democracies. Essentially the fate of a net zero world rests upon everyone going full speed ahead and playing nicely in the sandbox.
It would also help if America’s hands weren’t tied behind its back.
The U.S. has one of the more rigorous pathways to mineral production. It can take 10 years for a mine in the U.S. to receive all the required permits to begin operations. Thacker Pass, one of the largest lithium reserves in the U.S., has had a number of its permits delayed for more than a decade. Stringent environmental policies make securing such permits exceedingly difficult.
But a rigorous permitting process is only part of the problem. The mining workforce is in peril.
More than half the current workers will retire by 2029 (roughly 221,000). Enrollment numbers for mining and mineral engineering programs at universities are down nearly 50%. Only 314 degrees were awarded in 2021. The actual number of university mining programs has nearly been cut in half over the last 40 years. There are currently only 15.
China, on the other hand, has over 38 mineral processing schools and upwards of 44 mining engineering programs. Central South University, China’s largest mineral processing program, has 1,000 undergraduates and 500 graduate students ready to further China’s mineral ambitions.
The Biden administration should have thought about all this before committing the U.S. to lofty and frankly unreasonable goals. It put the cart before the horse. Our government has created a situation where, once again, we are dependent upon foreign entities for energy resources. It has constricted fossil fuel supply and is forcing Americans to buy cars they don’t want, which run on energy we hardly have.
Consumers suffer the consequences of such short-sighted policies. They are feeling the pain at the pump, the grocery store, restaurants, and utility bills. They are suffering through shortages and blackouts.
All to supposedly reduce global temperatures by 1.5 degrees. Even then, the potential climate effects of such a massive economic overhaul are questionable.
An all of the above energy strategy including mining and drilling, accompanied by rolling back restrictions and regulations, is the best avenue to secure America’s freedom and prosperity.
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